Uninspired comedy, 'Fanboys' is amusing

by
Mike Scott, Movie writer, The Times-Picayune

Friday March 06, 2009, 4:30 AM

The fanboys (and fangirl) of 'Fanboys' find themselves in George Lucas' trash compactor.

Mmm. Amusing, "Fanboys" is, yes. The Farce is strong with this one. But more than merely amusing must a "Star Wars"-inspired comedy be if universal appeal it hopes to gain.

Unfortunately -- and I'll spare you further Yoda-speak; out of my system, it is -- "Fanboys" never quite becomes much more than that. Instead, it is a mostly average road comedy, albeit one tricked out with light saber duels, Wookiee references and a host of other modestly fun "Star Wars"-isms.

There are laughs to be had by dedicated "Star Wars" enthusiasts -- say, those who know off the top of their head how many parsecs it took Han Solo to complete the Kessel Run, or what Luke Skywalker used for target practice in Beggar's Canyon back home, or why Dan Fogler's "Fanboys" van has a license plate reading "Slave 2."

For the uninitiated, however, the humor of "Fanboys" might too often feel like inside baseball, and consequently ring as hollow as the Millennium Falcon's smuggling holds.

Chris Marquette, left, Dan Fogler and Sam Huntington in a scene from 'Fanboys.'

FANBOYS
2 stars, out of 4

Snapshot: A road-trip comedy set in 1998, about four best buds who hatch a plan to break into George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and steal a rough cut of "Star War: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace."

What works: "Star Wars" fans will enjoy the inside jokes and the inspired cameos.

The setup is fairly simple: Set in 1998, it's built around a scheme by four best friends to drive cross-country, break into "Star Wars" creator George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and swipe a rough-cut print of the yet-to-be-released "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace."

"This is a conquest for the ages, " Jay Baruchel ("Tropic Thunder") tells his self-deprecating compatriots. "Our names shall become legend, spoken in hushed tones by nerds across the galaxy."

Along the way, there's a detour to a "Star Trek" shrine, just to mess with a band of villainous pointy-ears led by an almost unrecognizable Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up"). There's a run-in with a bearded and vaguely Wookiee-like Ethan Suplee ("My Name is Earl"). There's a secret, intelligence-gathering rendezvous featuring an inspired cameo appearance.

In fact, "Fanboys" boasts several fantastic cameos; suffice it to say that even non-"Star Wars" fanatics will appreciate the bulk of them. They are easily the best part of "Fanboys."

That hit-or-miss tone is set fairly early, as the movie opens with an entirely predictable text crawl ("A long, long time ago . . .") imbued with a definite "Spaceballs" flavor. It never really does much to distinguish itself in the hour and a half that follows.

The road to the multiplex has been a rocky one for "Fanboys." After earning Lucas' blessing a few years back, it has gone through reshoots and rewrites and re-edits with troubling regularity. Then there is its repeatedly delayed opening date: First, it was August 2007, pushed back to January 2008, then April '08, then September, then October.

Finally, a clearly tentative Weinstein Co. released it in eight markets Feb. 6, adding a few more markets every week or so. This week, it's New Orleans' turn.